Improvement in cultivators



l. H. FRANK. Gulti va-tors.

No. 143,338, PatentedSe-ptemberSO,1873.

2Sheets--Sheet2. J. H. FRANK.

Cultivators. N0. 143,338, tented September3qfl873.

Inv eni or UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIGE JOHN H. FRANK, OF MILLHEIM,PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CULTIVATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 143,338, datedSeptember 30, 1873 application filed August 9, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. FRANK, of Millheim, in the county of Centreand State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Cultivators, of

which the following is a specification:

, teeth, drag-bars, 860., used when the machine is employed as astraddle-row cultivator.

Two wheels, A A, are mounted upon a crank-axle, B, sustaining the frame0, upon which is mounted the drivers seat D, provided with suitablesprings secured upon rails d. The tongue E projects centrally from themachine- The teeth or shovels F are secured to their standards G byrivets or screws, or in' any of the usual ways. These standards are eachmade in one piece, having a lip, g, provided with an eye at the back anda short split or divided arm or projection, g, in front,

having a transverse hole therein. Each standard is perforated at thetop, and is provided with a recess or groove. A drag-bar, H, (one foreach standard,) enters the groove in the top of the standard, and issecured by a pin or rivet, so that the standard may swing on the bar. Adownwardly projecting brace, I, (one from each drag-ban) enters thesplit arm g, and is jointed therein by a wooden pin, for a well-knownpurpose. The drag bars H are secured at their front ends alternatelybeneath the cross-bars J J of the frame by means of rods K, which passthrough staples on the under side of the cross-bars and through eyes orloops in the ends of the dragbars. ing or swinging movement.

To enable the driver quickly to raise or lower the teeth, eithersimultaneously or independently, I mount a crank-roller, L, on bracketsl l, near the rear ends of the side pieces of the frame, so as to turnfreely. A lever, M, within reach of the driver, serves to rock thisroller. Each standard G is connected to the roller L by a cord or chain,m, secured to the lip g on the standard at one end,

The drag-bars arethus allowed a rock.

and to the roller at the other. It will be observed that the cords passthrough eyes or staples N on the roller, and are prevented fromwithdrawing by rings a, or any other suitable stops. By this means thedriver can raise all the teeth at once by using the lever, or, whendesired, can raise any one of the teeth independently of the rest bypulling on the ring a. A cross-piece, O, is removably secured to two ofthe central dragbars, H H, (in this instance by means of looped boltsand nuts 0 0,) and is provided with a rearwardly projectingguiding-handle, P. The drag-bars so connected are jointed, as shown at19, Fig. 4:, and are ordinarily rendered rigid by means of screw-bolts19.

When it is desired to use the machine as a straddle-row cultivator, allexcept the two jointed drag bars are removed with their shovels, (whichis easily done by taking out the pins which secured the dragbars beneaththe front cross-pieces of the frame,) and the screws 19 p are removed,so as to leave the drag-bars free to be moved sidewise, and allow theoperator to move the shovels laterally as well as vertically by means ofthe guidinghandle P.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the implement can bereadily changed from a straddle-row walking cultivator to a manytoothedriding field-cultivator; that, when going from field to field, thedriver can elevate all the teeth by using the lever; and

when an obstacle is met with while at work,

any one of the teeth may be raised, instead of throwing them all out ofwork unnecessarily.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combinationof the frame-bars J J, the single and double pivoted joints, and thescrew-bolts p for rendering the drag bars laterally rigid, therebyadapting the machine to be used as a field-cultivator, as described.

2. The combination of the frame-bars J J, the double and single pivotedjoints, screwbolts p, drag-bars H H, and shovel-standards G, as and forthe piupose described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereimto set my hand this30th day of July, 1873.

JOHN H. FRANK. Vitnesses A. H. Nonnrs, P. 13., WVILLIAM J'. PEvToN.

